


No Place Like Home

by vldrarepairs (miraculousstorytelling)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Day At The Beach, Fluff, Happy Ending, Homesick Lance (Voltron), Homesickness, Multi, Polyamory, ruined plans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 10:19:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13292772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculousstorytelling/pseuds/vldrarepairs
Summary: When Keith and Allura learn that Lance is feeling homesick, they decide to do something about it.





	No Place Like Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [squirenonny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirenonny/gifts).



> Written for [squirenonny](http://archiveofourown.org/users/squirenonny/pseuds/squirenonny) for [Fandom Trumps Hate 2017](https://fandomtrumpshate.tumblr.com/). Sorry for the lengthy wait, but I hope you enjoy this fic! I really enjoyed writing for this ship.

“What do you see out there?”

“Hm?” Lance looked over at her, jarred from the peaceful quiet that had settled over them. “What do you mean?”

Allura frowned. “You look unhappy.”

“I’m just relaxed.”

She examined his expression, her own disbelieving while she tried to determine exactly what he wasn’t saying. “If you want to do something else, you can just say so.”

“No, no!” He sat up, gesturing to the wide window overhead. “I like stargazing.”

“I know you do, but right now, you seem unhappy.” She stared him down. “Is something wrong?”

He hesitated for just a brief moment. “No.” But the pause was long enough to set off warning alarms in her mind.

She sat up beside him. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, you should.” He flopped back onto the large cushions they used to stare up at the stars. “Cause it’s the truth.”

“Lance,” she began in her most commanding tone.

But, he cut her off with a smile. “Nothing’s wrong. Now, come on. It’s cold down here. Lay down.”

“Only if you promise to tell me the truth.”

He reached out a hand and did his best to sound sincere. “I promise I’m fine.”

She huffed out a breath and laid next to him, one arm curling around his waist. “I still don’t believe you,” she muttered.

He kissed her temple, soft and loving. “Well, I’ll just have to convince you.”

 

The practice swords sparked when Lance struck, and Keith barely had time to dodge before Lance was coming at him again.

“Keep up, mullet!” Lance shouted when he managed to sneak past Keith’s defense and land a blow on his side.

Keith gritted his teeth and hit back, hard enough to knock the sword out of Lance’s hand. “What is with you today?”

“What’s with you?” Lance yelled back, snatching up his sword and moving back into position. “I thought we were supposed to be training!”

For a moment, Lance thought Keith was going to fight back. He really did. In fact, he was prepared to fight back against exactly that, which probably explained why he had no idea how to respond when Keith tossed his sword down instead. “Fine.” When Keith yanked the sword out of his hands and threw it across the room, Lance didn’t even have the presence of mind to try and stop him. “You want to train? Let’s do it.”

“Okay, fine!” Lance took a step forward, fists ready to land a punch anywhere that wouldn’t require a trip to the healing pods, but Keith was ready for him.

Before Lance could do more than blink, he was on his back, the wind knocked out of him, and Keith’s arm across his chest, holding him down. Stars danced in his vision while Keith scowled at him. “Wanna tell me what’s bothering you?”

Lance tried to sit up, but Keith just pushed him back down and sent him a warning glare. “Nothing,” he finally answered.

“Is that why you’re trying so hard to get on my bad side?” Keith eased up just enough to let Lance relax a little.

“Hey, not my fault you need a haircut.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “You know, we don’t have to fight every time you’re upset about something.”

“I’m not upset,” Lance shot back, enunciating each syllable in exactly the way Keith hated.

“Right,” Keith snapped, “Cause you don’t do this every time you want to vent.”

“I just want to train!”

“Only if you tell me what’s going on.”

Lance tried his best to squirm away, but Keith held him still, ready to wait him out if he had to. Finally, Lance closed his eyes and spoke, so soft Keith almost missed it over his own ragged breathing. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

At least it was a start. “Fine.” Keith sat back. “Don’t talk, then, but quit trying to annoy me.”

“Okay.”

Both of them were bruised by the end of the training, but at least Lance seemed a little more at peace when they were done.

“Do you want to talk now?” Keith asked as he passed Lance some water.

Lance shook his head and poured the water over his head, eager for a chance to cool off. “Nope.”

Keith shook his head. “You're gonna have to clean that up, you know.”

Lance smirked. “Am I?”

Before Keith could figure out what he meant, Lance grabbed him and knocked him on his back, right onto the puddle of water at his feet. “Seriously?” he grumbled.

Lance crouched over him and planted a quick kiss on his lips. “Thanks, babe.”

Keith tugged him down beside him. “You're the worst.”

“So are you,” Lance cooed back.

 

Still, both Keith and Allura knew something was wrong, and nothing Lance said or did could convince them otherwise. When they passed each other in the hall, both of them paused in tandem and hesitated.

“Um, Keith…” Allura began, “Have you noticed-”

“Yes.” He didn't even need her to finish the question. They both knew something was wrong with their boyfriend, and neither of them knew what it was. “He won't tell me.”

“Me neither.” She relaxed now that she could share her concerns with someone else. “Do you have any ideas?”

Keith shook his head. “You?”

“Not really.” She folded her arms over her chest. “And I tried to convince him to explain himself, but he just tried to distract me instead.”

“Typical Lance,” he murmured, leaning back against the wall. “So, what do we do?”

“Perhaps if we both went to him and asked together,” she suggested.

He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. He won’t tell us anything that way.”

She brightened. “Well, if he refuses to say anything, I think I know someone who might.”

 

Hunk was in the middle of checking over his lion when Allura and Keith found him. The second he saw their expressions, he set down his tools and stood up.

“Let me guess. You want to know what's up with Lance?”

They shared a look and nodded. “Has he told you?” Allura asked.

“Yeah, but I kind of hoped he'd tell you guys.” Hunk sighed and grabbed a rag to wipe off some of the oil on his hands. “I told him to. I said, communication is important in a relationship, but he just kept saying he could handle it and you wouldn't notice, but I knew you would.”

“So, what is it?” Keith asked before Hunk could keep going.

Hunk tossed the rag side. “He's homesick. It's close to his parents’ anniversary, and they always threw a huge party to celebrate and the whole family would come.”

Allura frowned. “That's all? Why wouldn't he tell us that this was bothering him?”

Hunk looked away and shrugged. “I asked him. He said he didn't want to bring it up. Your home is gone and Keith doesn't have a family back on Earth, so he thought it wouldn't be fair to complain about it.”

“Well that's stupid,” Keith shot back. “Allura would understand missing home better than anyone, and I know how important his family is to him.”

“That's what I said!” Hunk half-shouted, some of his frustration leaking into his tone. “He didn't believe me.”

“I agree with Keith, but obviously we need to do something to change his mind.” Allura glanced over at Hunk. “What can we do to show him we want to listen to him?”

Hunk frowned. “I don’t know about that. I mean, you guys already talk to him.”

“How about something else?” Keith raised a brow. “Any ideas about how to help him feel more at home?”

“Well, actually…”

 

Coran caught them in the middle of examining the map on the control deck. “Ah, Allura! Are you teaching our paladins how to navigate the ship?’

“Not quite.” Allura frowned down at the screen. “We want to find a planet nearby.”

“Well, I can help with that.” Coran peeked over her shoulder. “Which one are you looking for?”

“That’s sort of the problem.” Keith moved to the side so Coran could reach the map. “We don’t know.”

“We’re looking for a planet with a beach,” Hunk explained. “You know, sand next to an ocean?”

“And a similar environment to Earth. There needs to be a sun and air humans can breathe,” Allura added on, scrolling through a few more planets.

“I think I know just the place!” Coran brightened and quickly moved to a small pink planet close by. “What about here?”

The group read over the notes in the system, and Hunk was the first to speak up. “Wait. Does that say carniverous volcano?”

“Only on the one side.”

“No,” Keith and Hunk said in unison.

Coran shrugged. “Alright. Suit yourself.”

Then, another planet in the corner of the screen caught Keith’s eye, and he reached over to examine it a bit more closely. “What about this one?”

“This could work,” Allura murmured as she looked it over.

 

Lance had just finished a quick snack when Keith found him.

“Hey, we need you in the control room.”

Lance’s stomach dropped. “Is it Lotor?” He really didn't want to fight off the Galra today.

“Not exactly,” Keith answered with a cryptic smile.

Lance followed him down the hall. “So, what is it?”

“Can’t tell you.”

Lance groaned. “No, come on. I hate surprises. What is it?”

Keith ignored him and opened the door to the control room.

“Keith,” Lance whined. “What is it?”

Allura greeted him beside the door. “We need to make a quick stop, and we want you to join us.”

“A stop? Where?” Lance looked around the room, confused to see the windows that ordinarily displayed the space in front of them were blacked out. “Where are we?”

“You'll just have to see when we land.” Coran chimed in from across the room. “But, you'll have to wear a special suit if you go.”

That only made Lance more concerned. “What kind of suit?”

Keith tossed him a bag, barely able to hold back from smiling as he did. “Open it up.”

Lance tore it open and stared down at the bright blue garment in his hands. “Wait… are these…”

“Yep.”

“Are we…”

Allura chuckled. “It's not exactly Earth, but we thought it might be nice to find something close.”

Coran tapped a button and suddenly the windows cleared to show a glistening orange ocean, waves crashing over a dark green beach, dotted with orange rocks. The pink sky overhead was lit by a bright white sun, shimmering across the sand below.

“Are you serious?” Lance whispered, eyes wide.

“The air quality is safe, and the atmosphere is similar enough to Earth that no one needs to use a suit.” Allura smiled and motioned to the suit in his hands. “We can go once you’re dressed.”

Lance never changed so fast in his life.

 

Once Lance returned, the control room was crowded with his fellow passengers, all dressed in their swimwear of choice. Pidge was sporting a comically large hat, and Coran had somehow managed to find a wetsuit and surfboard. Hunk, Keith, and Shiro opted for the same style of swim trunks as Lance, though he noticed they were each in their respective colors. Allura, on the other hand, somehow managed to find a one piece suit that caught Lance’s eye only slightly less than the sight of the ocean outside.

“What are you waiting for?” Lance was practically jumping out of his skin as soon as he caught sight of the view through the front windows. “Let's go!”

Shiro was already halfway out the door, obviously eager for a vacation, no matter how small it might be. Everyone raced after him, intent on reaching the beach before anyone else, but Lance was too fast to lose to anyone, even his partners. The familiar scent of salt in the air made his heart ache and race all at once. It reminded him of summers in his childhood when he would spend all day outside, collecting shells from the ocean and showing them off to anyone who would listen or learning how to flirt from his older brother.

When his feet touched the sand, he could have cried. It felt alien and strange, but it was the closest he'd felt to home in ages. He collapsed on the ground, laying down so the sun-warmed ground was touching as much of his skin as possible.

"You okay there, Lance?" Hunk asked as he passed by.

Lance sent him a brief thumbs up before he returned to hugging the beach.

Allura laughed and sat down beside him. "I can see why you enjoy this. I already feel more relaxed.”

Lance grinned up at her. "This is amazing. How did you find this place?"

"We looked on a map." Keith crouched down on his other side. "The colors are off, but it kind of smells the same."

Lance nodded and laid his head back down. Soon enough, though, the spell of the ocean air wore off, and he sat back up. "Wait, why are we here?"

"Why? You don't like it?" Allura asked, staring out at Pidge and Hunk, who were in the middle of a sand castle building contest.

"No, no, no!" He waved his hands. "That's not it. I love it. But this is sort of out of the blue."

Keith huffed and flicked a little sand against Lance's side. "Hunk told us you were feeling homesick."

"Oh." Lance could feel that bubble of joy in his chest deflate. "So-"

"You should have told us," Allura said, so close to scolding him, but she was too relaxed to sound at all stern. "We would have done something sooner."

“Yeah,” Keith was still too annoyed to sound quite as gentle. "We were worried about you."

"I told you I was fine," Lance grumbled.

"But you weren't," Keith pointed out, blunt as ever.

"I was just..."

Allura cut in with a sharp look at both of them. "There's no use in arguing about it. Keith is right. You worried us, and next time, you will tell us instead of pretending everything is fine. Right now, we should try to enjoy our time here."

Lance sighed and flopped back onto the sand. "Okay, okay." That lasted only long enough for him to catch both of them offguard when he jumped up and ran towards the ocean. "Race you to the water!"

Keith was only seconds behind him. "You're on!"

Allura laughed and joined in, easily catching up to them before they reached the water.

They were all set for an amazing day to relax, the sun beating down on them and the sand sliding under their feet. Lance was already feeling better, finally able to enjoy a small slice of something like Earth, and he planned to savor every bit of it.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.

As soon as they reached the water, a giant wave struck the sand, knocking everyone near the water line off balance and toppling both sand castles.

"What was that?" Lance yelped, looking around for any sign of life besides them. "You checked this planet out, right?"

Keith frowned. "Yeah. Everything was safe for humans and Alteans."

"Was there anything else here?"

"No!" Keith sounded a lot less sure than Lance would have liked when he answered.

Allura was immediately ready for a fight, scanning the horizon for any sign of ships. “Did someone follow us?”

Coran was the first to spot the creature rising from the water. "Uhhh... I think I see the problem."

The group's shared scream was so unison it was almost comical. A giant blue creature rose above the water, obviously the source of the wave. Lance could have sworn he counted at least three rows of teeth when it roared, and the jagged fin along its back looked like it had seen a few fights. It raced for the shore, leaving them almost no time to react.

"Time to go!" Shiro yelled from beside them.

Lance raced back to the castle, Keith on his heels, and everyone else close behind. Coran was the last to leap in before they took off, and Allura was already directing the ship to safety when the doors closed.

"That was too close," Hunk murmured, still catching his breath.

"Well, at least we're safe now." Coran grinned.

"I wish you hadn't said that," Keith said, staring out the windows. "Allura, you should speed up."

“I am!” she answered without looking.

Hunk yelped when the creature flew out over the ocean, wings springing from its side and propelling it up and after them. Its mouth opened wide enough that everyone on board was seriously concerned about the possibility of losing part of the ship to its frighteningly sharp teeth.

"Hold on!" Allura focused on opening up a wormhole while they still had the distance to use it. She ignored the panicked shouts around her and opened up a passage to anywhere else. The familiar shimmering circle appeared in front of them, and in an instant, they were floating in empty space.

"Quiznak, that was way too close," Lance breathed, finally relaxing when the wormhole closed.

“Is everyone okay?” Hunk asked, looking a little green.

“Yeah,” Shiro murmured after scanning the room. “So much for relaxing.”

“I thought it was uninhabited.” Coran returned to the screen to check. “I guess we must have missed something.”

“I think it would be wise to land somewhere and check our equipment.” Allura looked over at Coran. “I doubt the creature had a chance to do any damage, but we should run a test to be sure.”

Coran nodded and waved her away from the controls. “Leave it to me! We’re safe here, and it shouldn’t take long. You go relax.”

Pidge scrutinized the sky outside. “Where are we, anyway?”

Coran rattled off the name, and Keith perked up when he heard it.

“Wait, isn’t that-”

Keith cut her off with a look. “Let’s go get changed. We’ll figure out something else to do after, okay?” He waited until Lance was out of earshot to catch Allura’s attention. “Hey. You know where we are?”

“Not exactly.” She raised a brow. “Do you?”

“Yeah.” He grinned. “And I have an idea.”

 

Allura was first to find Lance after they all had the chance to shower and change. “Lance, could you come here a moment?”

“Sure.” He followed her down the hall. “You don’t have another surprise or anything, do you?”

“Well, we wanted to do something to make up for that, so-”

Lance caught sight of Keith waiting outside a spare room, and he smiled. “Hey, it’s okay. It was nice while it lasted. Plus, it matters way more that you two worked together on something.”

Keith smirked. “You did say you wanted us to try and connect more.”

“And you listened!” Lance grinned and pulled them both into a hug. “You guys are the best boyfriend and girlfriend ever.”

“Does that mean you aren’t interested in finding out your other surprise?” Allura asked, with a grin of her own.

“You guys really don’t-”

Keith cut him off by opening the door. Inside, a large screen displayed a pair of faces Lance hadn’t seen in far too long.

He stepped inside and stared. “Mom? Dad?”

“Lance!”

“Surprise,” Keith murmured, thrilled to see the way Lance lit up when his mother called his name.

Allura led him inside. “We’ll leave you alone. Take as long as you want, and let us know when you finish.”

 

Keith and Allura knew Lance would need some time alone to cry and reconnect with his family. The normally awkward silence between them had eased now, leaving them both relieved and proud that they’d found a solution to Lance’s homesickness.

"This actually turned out pretty well, didn't it?" Allura chuckled. "I can't believe we managed to encounter an actual Wedsecian, though. I thought they were extinct more than 10,000 years ago."

"That thing has a name?" Keith laughed.

"We used to have them on Altea, but they died out generations before I was even born." Allura sighed. "I suppose they must have moved out here instead."

"I guess so."

She leaned back against the wall beside Keith. "I'm sure my father would have been happy to know some of them were still alive."

He raised a brow. "Really? It tried to eat us."

"Well, yes." She leaned back against the wall. "But, when they're at rest, they look quite beautiful. My mother painted one from some of the recorded sightings, and my father always said it was his favorite gift from her."

Keith watched her for a moment. "Too bad he didn't get to see it."

“It was surprisingly accurate. I recognized it right away.”

He smiled. “I guess that’s how you knew to open a wormhole instead of just flying off.”

She nodded. “She painted the wings as well, but I think she missed all the teeth.”

All too soon, the door to the private room opened up and Lance stepped out, looking for them.

“Are you through already?” Allura asked.

“No, they’re still there.” He grinned. “I want you to come meet them.”

His eyes were just a little puffy, but his smile was brighter than any they'd seen in months. Even if the beach was a bit of a mistake, at least it led them to a place where Lance could talk to his family. In the end, it really had worked out for the best.

Allura went in first, Keith trailing behind her, looking uncomfortable.

"This is Allura, and this is Keith," Lance indicated each of them in turn. "And this is my mom and dad."

Lance's mother waved at them from the screen. "Did you say Keith? Wasn't that the boy you had a crush on at the Garrison?"

Lance blushed. "Mom, no. He was my rival, not my crush."

"But, you're dating him now, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but that's not-" Lance frowned. "Come on! Stop embarrassing me!"

Allura laughed. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Keith nodded, and another face popped onscreen from the side. "Hey, you're the one Lance was always complaining about in school, right?”

Lance rolled his eyes. "That's my brother Mi-"

"You are! I recognize the mullet!" The boy grinned up at him.

Keith rolled his eyes. “It’s not-”

“Thanks for keeping his ego in check.” Lance’s brother leaned in just a bit. “I was so sick of that tailor speech.”

Keith chuckled and relaxed a bit. "Well, someone has to."

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!" Lance scowled and shot him a look. "Worst boyfriend ever."

"Funny." Keith leaned back against the wall behind him. "I'm pretty sure you were just saying we were the best boyfriend and girlfriend ever, right, Allura?"

Allura nodded, chuckling while she did. "I do remember that."

"Unbelievable. When I said I wanted you two to get along better, I didn't mean it like this!" Lance turned back to the screen. "Do you see what I have to put up with?"

His parents were laughing too hard to respond by the time he addressed them. "I'm just glad you're being taken care of," his mother finally said once she caught her breath.

Lance sighed, his fake irritation contradicted by the small smile curling up the corners of lips. "Yeah, I guess so."

Because despite everything... despite the distance from home, the constant fighting with Galra, and the disappointment of a beach that wasn't quite as safe as advertised, Lance could feel that ache of separation ease just knowing he had a family on Earth and in space that cared about him.


End file.
